A sporting life

How do you balance fitting in your sporting activities with studying for your degree?

Football and sport in general are complementary to my academic life at Cambridge, specifically as a source of discipline and a nice release from the stresses of essays, supervisions and work. I’ve found sport to be really useful for my mental health and genuinely believe it has benefitted my academic studies as well, despite the potential loss of time, as it has contributed to my wider happiness and developed my leadership, teamwork and time management skills.

Have you always been a keen sportsman? When did you first start playing football?

I’ve played football since around the age of 8, and joined an academy from the age of 10 to 12, but in truth to ‘make it’ in football you have to be far better than I am. After leaving the academy, I played for both school and my local Sunday team, and made the jump to men’s football at 15 years of age – which was a bit scary!

At school, I won a county prize for my commitment to sport, as I was a member of 5 different teams (football, rugby, basketball, athletics, and cross-country), but as I got older these focussed into football and rugby. Not everybody develops physically at the same rate, and I became scared every time I stepped onto the rugby pitch when I saw who my opposite number was – hence the commitment to football!

What team do you currently play for and what is your normal position?

I play for the Cambridge University Second Team, and I can play anywhere across the front line. I’ve been in the second team since I joined the university – and unfortunately never made it in into the firsts!

However, I’m captain this year, and have really loved the additional responsibility of leading the team. We have a lovely group of lads (including some Clare students) and it really is just one big family – my best friend is a first team player, and we met on the football tour to Malta in our first year, so the connections and relationships I’ve built across the club are second to none.

Do you think there are enough sporting opportunities for Cambridge University students?

Sport at Cambridge is truly impressive in respect of the range of opportunities. The sports fairs at the beginning of Michaelmas and Lent terms highlight everything on offer for freshers (or in fact any student). One major factor can be the price involved – I think football has cost me over £1,000 since being at Cambridge – but there are a number of funds you can apply for to help mitigate the cost.

As a member (and on the committee) of the Hawks’ Club, I’ve loved meeting people from a range of sports and backgrounds, it has really opened my eyes to the massive variety at the University! I met someone the other day who played a sport known as Eton Fives, a handball game played on a three sided court – something I didn’t even know existed! There’s a whole range of levels that you can enjoy sport at, which makes it accessible to all.

Your team had a recent victory against Oxford. Tell us more.

On March 3rd we played our annual Varsity Match against Oxford, with myself leading the team out as captain. After a close fought match, a last minute winner from our winger secured a 3-2 win, the third year in a row we’ve beaten them! I get to keep the trophy for a year as captain, and will return it on the day of the match next year. Fellow Clare undergraduates Ebo Aneju and Aaron Kay (both first year) also played in the game.

What would you like to do when you graduate?

I’m not sure what I want to do after university – I’d love sport to remain a large part of my life, and could look towards pursuing a career in sports law; but a rest from work and some travelling is in order first!